Pipe coupling



May 16, 1944.

J. H. LAMONT 2,349,180

PIPE COUPLING Filed Nov; 16, 194,2 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' //VV/V7 OR JAMES HUNTER LAMONT k f, Arro /va s Patented M 16, 1944 me comma James Hunter Lamont, Edinburgh, Scotland;

' Mary Somerville Stables or lament, Russel Patrick, and John Waugh, executors at said 'James Hunter Lamont, deceased, all or Edinburgh, Scotland, asslgnors to James H. Lamont and Company, Limited, Edinburgh, Scotland, a corporation of Great Britain Application November 16, 1942, Serial No. 465,661

6 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe coupling devices for joints or couplings used for joining a pipe to a tubular metal junction piece, which may be a straight metal union; or an angular or bent metal union, such as a bend, elbow, T-piece or cross-piece, or for joining two pipes together,-

using a straight or bent tubular metal junction piece between the two pipe ends, and is applicable to joints for pipes of comparatively ductile metal,

- such as copper, or to joints for hard metal pipes,

such as drawn or welded steel or iron piping.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate any possibility of the end of the pipe being twisted when screwing-up the coupling nut in the making of the joint.

A pipe coupling device according to the present invention comprises a tubular junction piece having an externally screw-threaded end portion internally counterbored to receive the endof the pipe to be coupled thereto, a coupling nut interhallyv screw-threaded to fit the external thread on said Junction piece, said nut having an internal shoulder apertured to revolubly fit on the pipe, an internally coned sleeve revolubly mounted in the nut between the thread of the nut and the said shoulder, said sleeve presenting an abrupt end face at the wider end of its internally coned surface which tapers towards said shoulder, a ring revoluble on the pipe and adapted to enter and coact with said internally coned surface, an external flange on said ring adapted for abutment against the end faceat the wider end of the coned surface of said sleeve, and a packing element revoluble on the pipe and adapted to be compressed between the flange of the ringuand. the junction piece when the coupling nut is screwed upon the junction piece to cause the coned surface of the sleeve to contract the ring upon the pipe until the end face of said. ring abuts against the flange on the ring.

The internally coned sleeve may be loosely inserted in the coupling nut. or it may be permanently attached to but revoluble in the coupling nut. By reason of the fact that the coupling nut is free to revolve upon the sleeve, which in turn is arranged to engage the ring to contract the latter radially inwards into fixed engagement with the pipe, the coupling nut. can be screwed tightly upon the junction piece without being capable of rotating the sleeve, although the latter is forced tightly into engagement with the ring by the pressure of the internal shoulder of the coupling nutagainst the sleeve. Thus any possibility of the end. of the pipe being twisted when screwing-up the coupling nut is eliminated.

The accompanying drawings illustrate examples of pipe coupling devices according to the present invention. The views show the coupling device half in elevation and half in section.

the screw-threaded end thereof.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the parts of one form of coupling device, Fig. 1 showing the parts expanded and Fig. 2 showing the completed joint. Figs. 3 and 4 are views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 showing a modification in which the ring is tapered throughout its length from the flange which is integral with the packing element.

Figs. 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figs.

1 and 2 showing a further modification in which the packing element is adapted to abut against the end face of the junction piece which is not conically counterborcd as in Figs. 1-4.

As shown in the drawings, the pipe coupling device includes a tubular junction piece I which is internally counterbored at 8 to receive the end of the pipe 53 which is to lie coupled thereto. The junction piece maybe of the form shown in Figs. 1-4, or any other suitable form of metal fitting, such as an elbow fitting H3 or a T-piece H as shown in broken lines in Fig. 5. The junction piece I is externally screw-threaded at I2 to receive a coupling nut l3 having an internal screw-thread Id to fit the screw-thread l2. The back of the coupling nut has an inturned shoulder I 5 which is cylindrically apertured at it to rotate on the pipe 9. Between the shoulder l5 and the screw-thread it of the nut is an internally coned solid metal sleeve ll. This sleeve is of slightly smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the screw-thread it, so that the sleeve ll can be fitted into the nut is through The sleeve ll may be a loose sleeve detachable from the nut as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, but it is preferred to attach the sleeve ii to the nut iii in such a manner that the sleeve cannot fall out of the nut or be removed therefrom, while being free to turn in the nut. For this purposethe nut i3 '1 may be provided between the screw-thread it and the shoulder is with an annularrecess 88 (Figs. 1 and 2) having a diameter which is preferably equal to or greater than the maximum duced cylindrical extension l9 adapted to enter the hole in the back of the nut, the hole in this case being made large enough to receive the extension l9 and being externally counter-bored so that, after the extension |9 has been entered into the hole IS, the extension l9 can be expanded at 20 into the counter-bore so as to permanently attach the sleeve to the nut l3 while permitting the sleeve extension I9 to revolve in the hole in the back of the nut. Alternatively, the sleeve extension I9 may protrude through the back of the nut and be turned outwards against the outer face of the shoulder l5.

It will be observed that the internally coned surface of the sleeve |1 tapers towards I the shoulder of the ring and presents an abrupt end face at the wider end of the coned surface.

Revolubly fitted upon the pipe 9 is a solid or unsplit ring 22 of deformable metal having an integral flange 2|. The ring 22 is adapted to enter into and coact with the coned surface of the sleeve I1 and the flange 2| is adapted to coact with the abrupt end face of the sleeve H. The ring 22may be cylindrical with or without a chamfered end 23 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 or tapered throughout its length as shown in Fig. 3'.

Also revolubly fitted on the pipe 9 behind the ring 22 and flange 2| is apacking element. This packing element may be a ring 24 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or it may be a ring or washer 25 as in Figs. 5 and 6. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the junction piece 1 is conically counterbored at B and the packing ring 24 is externally coned to enter the counterbore 8. The packing ring 24 may be a separate solid or unsplit ring of deformable metal, or it may be made of resilient material, such as a ring of leather, rubber, asbestos or the like. Obviously, if the counterbore 8 is cylindrical instead of conical as shown, the packing ring 24 will'also be cylindrical to conform to and enter the counterbore in the junction piece. Figs. 3 and 4 show a modification in which the packing element is in the form of an integral extension 26 of the flange 2| and ring 22, in which case the parts 2|, 22 and 26 are all of metal. If the junction piece 1 is counterbored to closely fit the pipe 9 as in Figs. 5 and 6, the ring 25 may take the form of a hard or soft ring or washer adapted to be compressed between the flange 2| of the ring 22 and the end face 21 of the junction piece 1. I

When the coupling nut I3 is screwed upon the junction piece I, the shoulder 5 of the nut forces the sleeve over the ring 22, and the internally coned face of the sleeve compresses the end of the ring 22 radially inwards into fixed engagement with the pipe 9, so soon as the ring 24 or 25 has been forced into the counterbore 8 in the junction piece I, or when the ring 26 has been pressed against the end face 21 of the junction piece 1 by axial displacement of the nut l3, sleeve l1 and ring 22 along the pipe 9. As the sleeve crushes the ring 22 inwards into the pipe 9, the sleeve I1 is forced axially over the ring 22. If the nut I3 is screwed up until the abrupt end face of the sleeve bears against the flange 2| of the ring 22, any further inward crushing of the ring22 will be prevented and will thus prevent the ring 22'from reducing the fluid flow area through the pipe 9.

It will be observed that in all cases the nut I3 is free to revolve on the sleeve l'l, so that when the sleeve I! has crushed the ring 22 into fixed engagement with the pipe 9, the nut l3 cannot twist the sleeve I! or cause it to twist the ring 22 and pipe 8.

I claim:

1. A pipe coupling device comprising a tubular member having an end portion counterbored to receive the end of a pipe'to be-coupled thereto and having an external screw-thread formed on said end portion, a coupling 'nut internally screwthreaded to fit the external thread on the end portion of said member, an inturned shoulder on said nut apertured to revolubly fit on the pipe, an internally coned solid metal sleeve revolubly mounted in said nut between the thread of the nut and said shoulder, said sleeve presenting an abrupt end face at the wider end of its internally coned surface which tapers towards said shoulder, a solid or unsplit ring of deformable metal revoluble on the pipe and adapted to enter and coact with said internally coned surface, an external flange on said ring and integral therewith and adapted for abutment against said abrupt end face, and a packing element revoluble on the pipe and adapted to be compressed between said flange and the end portion of said member when the coupling nut is screwed upon'said end portion to cause said coned surface to contact the -ring upon the pipe. e

2. A pipe coupling-device comprising a tubular member having an' end portion counterboredw receive the end of a pipe to be coupled thereto and having an external screw-thread formedon said end portion, a coupling nut internally screw-' threaded to flt the external thread on the end portion of said member, an inturned shoulder on said nut apertured to revolubly fit on the pipe. an internally coned solid metal sleeve having an external diameter which is less than the internal diameter of the screwethread in said nut. said sleeve being loosely inserted in and revolubly mounted insaid nut betweenthe thread of the nut and said shoulder, said 'sleeve presenting an abrupt end face at the wider end of its internally coned surface which tapers towards said shoulder, a solid or unsplit ring of deformable metal revoluble on the pipe and adapted to enter and coact with said internally coned surface, an external flange on said ring and integral therewith and adapted for abutment against said abrupt end face, and a packing .element revoluble on the pipe and adapted. to be compressed between said flange and the end portion of said member when the coupling nut is screwed upon said end portion to cause said coned surface to contract the ring upon the pipe.

3. A pipe coupling device comprising a tubular member having an end portion counterbored to receive the end of a pipe to be coupled thereto and having an external screw-thread formed on said end portion, a coupling nut internally screwthreaded to fit the external thread on the end portion of said member, an intumed shoulder on said nut apertured to revolubly fit. on the pipe. an internally coned solid metal sleeve havinzlin external diameter which is less than. the internal nut and said shoulderfsaid sleeve. .presenting an abrupt end face at the wider endof its internally coned surface which tapers towards sa id shoulder, a solid or unsplit ring of deformable metal revoluble on the pipe and adapted to enter and' coact with said internally coned surface, an exend portion of said member when the coupling nut is screwed upon said end portion to cause ternal flange on said ring and integral therewith and adapted for abutment against said abrupt end face, and a packing element revoluble on the pipe and adapted to be compressed between said flange and the end portion of said member when the coupling nut is screwed upon said end portion to cause said coned surface to contract the ring upon the pipe.

4. A pipe coupling device comprising a tubular member having an end portion counterbored to receive the end of a pipe to be coupled thereto and having an external screw-thread formed on said end portion, a coupling nut internally screwthreaded to fit the external thread on the end portion of said member, an inturned shoulder on said nut apertured to revolubly fit on the pipe,

an annular recess in said nut between said shoulder and the screw-thread in said nut, said recess being of greater diameter than the internal diameter of the thread in the nut, an internally coned sleeve having an initial external diameter which is less than the internal diameter of the thread in said nut, said sleeve being expanded into said recess to a diameter such as to causev ed to be compressed between said flange and the said coned surface to contract the ring upon the pipe.

5. A pipe coupling device comprising a tubular member having an end portion cylindrically bored to receive and closely lit the end of a pipe to be coupled thereto, said end portion being counterbored at its outer end to provide an annular recess around a portion of the pipe, an'external screw-thread formed on said end portion. a coupling nut internally screw-threaded to flt the external thread on the end portion of said member, an inturned shoulder on said nut apertured to revolubly fit on the pipe, an internally coned solid metal sleeve revolubly mounted in said nut between the thread of the nut and said shoulder, said sleeve presenting an abrupt end face at the wider end of its internally coned surface which tapers towards said'shoulder, a solid or unsplit'ring of deformable metal revoluble on the pipe and adapted to enter and coact with said internally coned surface, an external flange on said ring and integral therewith and adapted for'abutment against said abrupt end face, and a packing element revoluble on the pipe and shaped to conform to the shape of the annular recess around the portion of the pipe received in said tubular member, said packing element being forced into said annular recess when the coupling nut is screwed upon said tubular member to cause said coned surface to contract the ring upon the p pe.

6. A pipe coupling device according to claim 1 wherein the flanged ring tapers throughout its length from the flange.

JAMES HUNTER LAMONT. 

